The Chemical World This Week
R&D SPENDING SLATED TO RISE 8 % IN 1978 The U.S. will spend about $44.1 billion on research and development in 1978, according to the annual R&D forecast prepared by economist W. Haider Fisher and associates at Battelle Columbus Laboratories. That amounts to an 8.0% increase over the $40.8 billion that the National Science Foundation estimates actually will be spent in 1977. But, Battelle says, higher costs will offset the dollar increase; there will be no real growth in R&D. Even in terms of current dollars, the R&D growth rate has dropped below the high rates that prevailed before 1968 and after 1971. "There is increasing concern," Battelle says, over "the relative decline in U.S. R&D activity and the danger posed thereby for future national economic strength." Not until fiscal year 1979 will the Carter Administration have sole responsibility for determining federal R&D support levels, Battelle notes. Even then, R&D will be one of the few elements in the budget that can be reduced to lessen or avoid deficits. "By the time the Administration gains full control over R&D appropriations, it may be forced to exert that control in ways it finds undesirable," the forecast comments. Meanwhile, patterns of R&D funding and performance show little change from previous years. Of the $44.1 billion, federal furfding will account for $24.4 billion (53.1% of the total), a 7.3% increase over 1977. Industry will provide $19.1 billion (43.2%), an 8.8% increase. Of the rest, $962 million (2.2%) is expected to come from academic institutions and $672 million (1.5%) from other nonprofit organizations. Defense-related R&D is still in favor with Congress, Battelle observes, and will account for half the total gain in U.S. R&D expenditures. However, energy is the fastest-growing R&D field. Nuclear programs are still the largest, but geothermal, solar, and advanced energy systems programs are growing rapidly, as is conservation R&D. Regardless of source of funds, industry will continue to do most of the work. Industry R&D performance is expected to come to $30.0 billion (68.0% of the total). That compares to $7.0 billion (16.0%) for in-house fed6
C&ENDec. 19, 1977
Chemical industry R&D support to grow 13% in 1978 Industrial R&D support, % change from 1977
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eral research, $5.5 billion (12.5%) for acedemic institutions, and $1.5 billion (3.5%) for other nonprofit organizations. Eight of 16 broad industry groups will increase their R&D support by more than the average 8.8%. Professional and scientific instruments will post the biggest gain (16%), followed by chemicals and allied products (13%). The only category showing an actual decline is food and kindred
products, down 4% from 1977. Four industry groups—chemicals, electrical equipment, machinery, and transportation equipment—are each expected to provide more than $2 billion in R&D support and will account for 71% of all industrial R&D funding in 1978. The same four, Battelle notes, are among the largest relative supporters of R&D, devoting more than 28% of their pretax profits to that purpose in 1978. D
Velsicol indicted for keeping data from EPA Velsicol Chemical Corp., a division of Northwest Industries, and six of its present or former officials were indicted last week by a federal grand jury in Chicago for criminally conspiring to withhold toxicology data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The data, according to the indictment, show that two pesticides manufactured by Velsicol, chlordane and heptachlor, induce tumors in laboratory animals. The defendants face stiff fines and long jail sentences if convicted. Velsicol strongly denies the charges. Last week's indictment is apparently the first instance of a corporation's being indicted for allegedly withholding test data from EPA, ac-
cording to a spokesman for that agency. The investigation was begun by the Justice Department in July 1975 at the request of EPA. The agency discovered in the course of a series of hearings begun in 1974 into the possible revocation of the pesticide registrations for chlordane and heptachlor that Velsicol had studies performed in 1971 and 1972 that allegedly show that the compounds produce tumors in animals. But until 1975 the firm had not disclosed the information, according to the indictment, and therefore violated the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide & Rodenticide Act, which regulates pesticide safety, as well as the
Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act, which sets limits for pesticide residues in food. Both acts require timely dis closure of pertinent data about products. "It is an outrage that the govern ment would even consider seeking such indictments," says Paul F. Hoffman, Velsicol chairman and chief executive officer, who is not a party to the indictment. "We do not under stand how the government can com plain about the delay in submitting two scientifically insignificant, frag mentary and incomplete [microscope] slide readings [of lab animal tissue] when the authors of those readings have subsequently stated they were meaningless, and, in fact, not even accurate in one case." Individuals named in the indict ment are Harvey S. Gold, 44, VelsicoPs director of regulatory activity; Charles J. Calo, 39, manager of toxi cology; John C. Tapas, 53, a vice president; Kenneth L. Schulz, 55, formerly director of Velsicol's regu latory division; Neil R. Mitchell, 39, company secretary and general counsel, and Bernard H. Lorant, 56, a lawyer retained by the firm. Mitchell and Lorant face maximum fines of $63,000 and a maximum term of 55 years in prison. D
Sperm counts rise in DBCP-exposed workers Tests made by Dow Chemical suggest that spontaneous recovery is taking place in some of the workers believed to have become less fertile from overexposure to l^-dibromo^chloropropane (DBCP) at Dow's Magnolia, Ark., plant. Dow shut down the DBCP plant last August after concern arose over the possible sterility-causing effects of the agricultural fumigant (C&EN, Aug. 22, page 7). Shell Chemical, the other major U.S. producer, already had stopped production for the sea son. Both firms subsequently began a DBCP recall campaign. EPA sus pended the sale and use of DBCP in late October. In August, Dow tested 86 workers at Magnolia and found that 47 had no or low sperm counts. The "break point" for the test was 20 million sperm per cc of semen. Of the 86 men, 61 were selected for followup. Of those 61, 35 submitted to a second test in November. In that test seven of the 35 men showed sperm counts increasing from less than 20 million to more than that count. Also, five men showing no sperm at all in August showed "a significant number" of sperm in November.
Dr. Benjamin B. Holder of Dow's medical department calls the new data "preliminary tabulations." But, he adds, "It is our interpretation that these data indicate a reversal of ef fects which will continue." The studies will proceed, Holder notes, and those who elected not to take part in the November test will be encour aged to participate further. Meanwhile, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration is holding hearings on proposed DBCP exposure limits. Witnesses testified last week that other tests also have shown that recovery can occur in some cases, at least in people who have been exposed to the chemical for only a short time. Π
Fusion technique may boost metallic glasses Researchers at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory have developed a method for fusing powders of metallic glasses into solid rods or for welding ribbons of these materials onto the surface of conventional metals such as steel. This technique could greatly increase the applications possible for metallic glasses, says Dr. Carl F. Cline, leader of the Lawrence Livermore research group that did the work. Metallic glasses are complex metal alloys that have a completely random atomic structure, much like that of window glass or other ceramics. They are formed by cooling melts of the alloy so quickly that an organized crystal structure does not develop. Because they must be cooled so rap idly, newly formed metallic glasses must be very thin in at least one di mension; usually they are formed as thin ribbons, wires, or powders. Their random atomic structure gives these materials unusual prop erties. They are much stronger than crystalline metals, some with shear moduli greater than 50. They are es sentially insensitive to many types of radiation, such as that from neutrons, and have greater corrosion resistance than the corresponding crystalline alloy. Of particular interest have been the iron-containing alloys because of their useful ferromagnetic properties. But application of these materials has been limited, Cline explains, because they haven't been available in bulk.
No Dec. 26 issue Chemical & Engineering News will not publish an issue on Dec. 26, 1977. The editors wish all readers a very happy holiday season. Our next issue will be Jan. 2, 1978.
Powdered metallic glass is fused into a rod, held by Dr. Carl F. Cline
When heated to about half of their melting temperature, metallic glasses start to lose their random structure, begin to crystallize, and lose their unique properties, Cline explains. The problem in fusing or welding these materials is that it must be done quickly enough that this crystalliza tion does not occur. Cline and his as sociates, Milton Finger, Dr. Robert W. Hopper, Dr. Jens P. Mahler, and William Kuhl, accomplish this by using chemical explosives to force the material together. The explosion oc curs so quickly that heat does not have a chance to build up, Cline ex plains, and the desirable properties of metallic glass are retained. "And ex plosives are cheap," Cline points out, indicating that the whole procedure likely would be very cost effective for many materials applications. So far the researchers have used the explosion technique successfully with several different alloys of me tallic glasses and have made solids in a number of simple shapes, such as rods, plates, tubes, and cones. Patent rights for the procedure have been applied for, and the next step Cline would like to see would be joint de velopment projects with interested companies for new alloys to serve particular needs. Π
EPA proposes new air standard for lead After a lapse of several years, EPA last week proposed a new national ambient air quality standard. The proposed standard is for airborne lead, a pollutant that the agency says may harm human nervous and blood-forming systems even at low levels of exposure. The proposed standard would limit airborne lead levels to 1.5 micrograms Dec. 19, 1977 C&EN 7
